Friday, June 13, 2008

No, Dave, that's not a "big muscle"

I took the family to visit my folks over the weekend of June 13 - 15, 2008. While I was up there, I was showing my sister Barbara (an oncology nurse) the "big muscle" (or so I thought) on my left thigh. (You see, my left thigh bulges out, which I thought was “cool”.) Barb looked at it and said “Dave, that’s just not right. You need to see a doctor about that.” Mom too insisted that I see a doctor. Both Barb and Tom (brother-in-law) later commented that it didn’t feel like muscle to them.

I had noticed that there for at least 7 months and perhaps even as long as 12 months or more but never really thought much about it. It caused me no pain or discomfort. I simply assumed that my left thigh was bigger and/or stronger than my right thigh. I also often sit oddly in a chair where I put my right foot under my left thigh and I figured that my years of doing that perhaps somehow deformed or twisted my thigh muscle. (If you sit in a chair that way, you too will notice your thigh muscle “bulge”.) Unfortunately, I was wrong with all of my assumptions.



7 comments:

  1. Dave,

    I've just enjoyed reading through your blog today. You're a great writer, and I'm very happy to see that you're healthy. I decided to post a comment to this post because it's right where I'm at in my experience with a "big muscle" (although not the size of yours) on the outside of my right thigh. I have my MRI Friday morning, so fingers crossed it's just a lipoma or something relatively benign! Thanks for sharing your experience here.

    Cindy G.

    P.S. The shaved head is a great look for you!

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  2. Thanks for your kind comments. I'd like to know how your follow-up goes with your MRI and such, so feel free to shoot me an email if you're so inclined (scroll down to the Contributors section, click on Dave Novak, and you'll find an Email link there).

    Oh, and if you like the shaved head, you would love The Mullet.

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  3. Hi Dave-
    I am reading your story and learning from you. I was told that I have a 12cm X 11cm X8 cm tumor that needs to be removed ASAP (Jan 14th to be exact, which does not seem that soon). Doctor thinks it is a Liposarcoma. I think it is just a benign tumor. CT was done, no biopsy necessary due to the surgery right around the corner. So thank you for sharing your story with us, I look at the picture of your leg and thought this looks pretty familiar. Although mine is in the shape of a soft ball, the same area as yours was. So we will wait and see but as I said before I think it is a benign tumor (yes, that may be a bit of denial). Thanks again.

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  4. Hi Dave-

    I am reading your story and learning from you. I was told that I have a 12cm X 11cm X8 cm tumor that needs to be removed ASAP (Jan 14th to be exact, which does not seem that soon). Doctor thinks it is a Liposarcoma. I think it is just a benign tumor. CT was done, no biopsy necessary due to the surgery right around the corner. So thank you for sharing your story with us, I look at the picture of your leg and thought this looks pretty familiar. Although mine is in the shape of a soft ball, the same area as yours was. So we will wait and see but as I said before I think it is a benign tumor (yes, that may be a bit of denial). Thanks again.

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  7. Hi Dave,

    I have been looking at a bulge on my right thigh for several months now and have not thought much of it... until today!... when I finally decided to do some investigation. Your blog is the first site I opened and, frankly, I am scared. My bulge, though smaller than yours, is almost identical in shape and location, albeit on the other leg. Unlike you, however, I do not have a loving family around me for support. Nor do I have insurance, or a job, for that matter. My only hope - and I do NOT mean for this world - is in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ.

    G.A.

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